Earning tough point pleases new Sounder Moffat

Coming on to help secure the point against the Galaxy, Moffat ready for bigger things with Seattle.

In the waning moments of the match with the LA Galaxy on Saturday night, Sounders FC needed some veteran savvy to earn a valuable point on the road.

That seasoned know-how came from newly acquired midfielder Adam Moffat, who made two clutch clearances for Seattle in the final minute of the match to secure the 1-1 draw at the StubHub Center, despite playing down a man with its back against the wall in stoppage time.

“It was a great game. Coming in there at 1-1, the game could have gone either way,” Moffat said. “I’m happy to get in there and shore it up a bit and we had some chances.”

Moffat played 25 minutes in his Sounders FC debut, replacing second-year midfielder Andy Rose to finish off the Galaxy, while also giving Seattle a bit of offensive pop.

While the transition wasn’t necessarily seamless, Moffat was able to contribute to the road result by maintaining continuity in the midfield while providing a defensive companion for Osvaldo Alonso to help stymie the LA midfield.

In total he completed seven of his 11 passes for 63.6-percent and gained possession for Seattle five times. However, it was those two vital clearances that made the difference.

In the fifth minute of added time, LA got into the Seattle box and threatened to add a late game-winner, but Michael Stephens couldn’t hold possession and Moffat swooped in to slam it clear.

Moments later, LA earned a corner kick and when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado knocked down the ball into the box, Moffat again made the clearance, this time prompting the referee’s final whistle as Seattle held off the late attack from the Galaxy to walk away with one point and add to its lead in the Western Conference standings.

It was a good way to finish the match for Moffat after he tried to make the quick adjustments to his new teammates just eight days after his trade from the Houston Dynamo for Servando Carrasco and a second round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.

“Adam has that experience and played simple,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “He misread a couple of passes, but that is something that will get better as they play more with each other.”

Playing on his fourth team since originally signing with Schmid’s Columbus Crew in 2007, Moffat is adjusting to his new surroundings – as well as his role within a team battling for the Supporters’ Shield with a gauntlet of challenging matches throughout the six remaining games on the schedule.

“It can be a bit of an adjustment. There are a few things tonight – guys’ runs – that you just kind of get used to,” Moffat said. “I’ve only trained three days. Hopefully that will come the more minutes I play.”

This week, he will have more chances to train with his new teammates before a top-of-the-table battle with the league-leading New York Red Bulls on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field.